I've become a big enough fan of Brandon Sanderson's that I will buy any of his books now, sight unseen. There is only one other author (well, pair of authors) that I will do that with, and that's the Pendergast books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. And that's mostly because I own the others, and I want all of them, but those I buy in paperback. Sanderson's books, I buy first edition HC. He's that reliably good.
I went to a Sanderson book signing a couple of years ago for... "Legion", I think... and he mentioned that he was working on his first YA book- a story about a boy who lives in a world where everyone with super powers is evil and he has to fight them without having any superpowers himself. That book is "Steelheart". I thought it sounded fantastic, and now, having read that book, I am not disappointed.
It's been many years since I first read "Ender's Game", which is kind of nice, because I had forgotten nearly everything about it, except the big reveal at the end (how could you forget that?!) This is a book that holds up very well, in spite of it having been published originally in 1977. I loved it as much this time around as I did the first time I read it. Ender is the perfect leading character-- he's lovable, but flawed. He's an unwilling hero, a natural leader and soldier and besides being brilliant, he is very sympathetic. We all know the feelings such as not being as "good" as some might think we are; feelings of shame or discouragement, loneliness and despair.
The story is exciting, compelling and fascinating. There are many books that I would recommend you read without first reading a synopsis. Just trust me. It's worth your time. This is one such book. The science is believable, the aliens and space battles and technology aren't so far-fetched that the sci-fi-ness takes over the story and distracts you by making you realize that you're reading Science Fiction. Which, as we all know, only nerds do, right? Riiiiiight....
I jumped right into this second book in the "Pathfinder" books by Orson Scott Card, after only a couple of days had passed since I finished the first book. I still think Card is an incredible author, but this one wasn't as good as the first. Good, not great. The story moves forward slowly, as Rigg and his companions travel to a couple of new "wallfolds" on their planet, and there was an awful lot of whining and complaining and speculating and just a lot of blah-blah-blah about their feelings and their worries and their thoughts. The first book had some such, but not quite to the extent of this one. I will read the next one, and I do still think this is a compelling series-- in spite of my criticisms, I couldn't put it down-- but I am hopeful the next one will have more action and less bickering and useless chatter.
Oh man, is my mind blown. Again. By Orson Scott Card. Again. Writer of the innovative modern classic "Ender's Game", Card has written some very good books over the years. I love a good WOW book, and Card certainly delivers!
